I will forever bleed blue...

HEY GUYS!

I hope you have enjoyed this season as much I have. What's life without a little drama, rage, self-induced stress (the kind that almost gives you a stroke) in short, what is life without Football?

After a long hiatus due to lack of time and inspiration (and possibly self confidence) I have decided to come back just in time for Super Bowl XLVI where the New York Giants will battle the New England Patriots! How about that, huh? But let me not get ahead of myself because what a season it has been!
A season that was threatened by a 130 day lockout, a season dubbed 'The Year of the Quarteback' yet in my opinion it should have been 'The Year of The Rookie, Tight End or Wide Receiver', a season filled with shattered records, a season in which expectations (and emotions) were at an ultimate HIGH yet it was the UNEXPECTED that made most of the headlines, a season WITHOUT Peyton Manning and where we witnessed the catastrophic collapse of the Indianapolis Colts who finished their season 2-14! Who saw that one coming?

Well, needless to say that this season was impressive (both in the good and the bad) and an epic one at that.

So, was I the only one panicking over what seemed to be the never-ending lockout?
As I understand it the major issues disputed were the salary cap, players' safety and health benefits, revenue sharing and television contracts, transparency of financial information, rookie salaries, season length, and free agency guidelines. Which it all translates to: "Blah, blah, blah, more money, blah, blah, blah, more money and MORE MONEY". Don't misunderstand, I am all for the players' safety and health benefits but the rest of their 'issues' seem superfluous, it looks to me that all these players and owners want is MORE and MORE MONEY but are they really worth it? My prime example... Peyton Manning. He is a FORMIDABLE and EXEMPLARY player, a four time MVP, has Super Bowl Championship ring (SB XLI), needless to say that he is Hall of Fame bound...BUT...back in July 2011 Manning was given a 5-year, $90 million contract and once the 2011 season started he was completely sidelined with a neck injury that was highlighted by the fact that the Indianapolis Colts (a favorite contender for the SB) had their most heinous season in recent years. Now he finds himself under constant media scrutiny, wrapped himself in one of the most melodramatic predicaments we have seen since the infamous Brett Favre "Will he or won't he retire?' skit but in this case the question is: "What will happen with Peyton Manning?" With the Colts cleaning house after the season ended the possibility of his release is more than probable and should they decide to keep him the Colts would have to dish out a $28 million bonus option he is due in March. Excessive? I think just a tad (insert sarcasm). Is he worth it? I have my doubts especially with all the here-say of what the status of his condition really is. I'm not bashing the guy by any means, I am trying to make a point. There are many players that are extremely OVERPAID another example would be Michael Vick, riddled with injuries the entire season as well and his 'stellar' performance was actually less than par... If I sat down and properly do a massive research I am sure my list would be a long one of overpaid NFL players throughout history. Look, I am not saying that they don't deserve their money I just believe it to be exorbitant amounts and what makes it worse is that this greed has tainted and overshadowed the greatness of the game.

Anyway, on to better things...

So, the 'Year of the Quarteback' is it? Well, if we take a look at rookie Cam Newton and all the records he broke then I guess they got it right.
Most yards thrown by a rookie QB in his FIRST game: 422
Most passing yards by a rookie in a season: 4,051
Most rushing touchdowns by a QB in a season: 14

And if we add all the accomplishments of Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Tim Tebow and Tom Brady then YES it was the year of the Quarterback. However we CANNOT overlook the exceptional performance of rookie Victor Cruz  who finished his season with 1,536 receiving yards, 82 receptions and 9 touchdowns - one of them being a 99-yard TD against the New York Jets on week 16. And how about Jimmy Graham? Another rookie who had 99 receptions for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also broke Kellen Winslow's NFL record of 1,290 receiving yards in a season by a TE only to be surpassed by Rob Gronkowski who finished with 1,327 yards. Speaking of Gronkowsky he finished his season with 18 touchdown (17 receiving) both NFL records for a TE. So you see... 'Year of the Quarterback'? I think that can be argued quite a bit.

How about Tim Tebow? Anyone here into 'Tebowmania' or 'Tebowing'? Really? It seems to me that his new career has been heightened by the Broncos numerous shortcomings and by the abundant female fan-base he has due to his 'pretty boy' looks. Yes, he's quite good but he still has a lot of things to learn before he can be in the same caliber as Aaron Rodgers or either one of the Mannings, just to mention a few.

On a different note, how amazing were the Green Bay Packers? The Super Bowl XLV champions entered the 2011 season with high expectations and with good reason! They were the defending champions and this season they were the best team of the league! The one to beat! And who wouldn't think that? Having won their first 14 games of the season it was pretty clear to most of us that the Packers were going to take it all. Their one and only loss came to them on week 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs and finished their season 15-1 becoming just the sixth team in NFL history to win at least 15 games in the regular season and I am not even going to get into all the records they broke! They were so good that Aaron Rodger was named NFL MVP respectively. The Packers appeared to be a very well rounded team (and they were) and a force to be reckoned, the favorite to win it all once again but all of that came to an end when they lost the NFC Divisional game against the New York Giants... MY NEW YORK GIANTS! I have to admit that I did not think that was going to happen and watching that game aged me a good 5 years because even though the Giants are my team the Packers are my 'other' team. It was absolutely bittersweet watching both of my teams battle it out and secretly wanting both teams to win somehow but in the end the Giants came on top. So much so that they find themselves in a Super Bowl rematch against the New England Patriots today. The AFC's no. 1 seed against the NFC's no. 4 seed, eerily similar to the 2007 season when the wildcard Giants beat the undefeated Patriots in SB XLII. Will it happen again or will the Patriots come back with revenge on their minds? I know a lot of you are not thrilled about it but that's no reason to not sit down with friends and family, and enjoy the culmination of a season unparalleled to any other. A season filled with frustration, angst and heartbreak but also a season full of good surprises, great entertainment and amazing talent that has given us a glimpse that the best is yet to come.

I hope you enjoy SB XLVI... I know I will be watching and cheering on my team and eager for them to win yet again! ... 'I WILL FOREVER BLEED BLUE' ...

Until next season everyone...